Another fine day in Oregon

Another fine day in Oregon: fun with uncles ...

... attacking kitties ...

... and nice moments with grandpa.

Uncle Matthew taught Madeline about iPads ...

... and how to pet kitties.

And then Madeline went to bed.

First full day in Oregon

Our first full day in Oregon went smoothly.

Madeline, always a strict disciplinarian, kept her uncles in line by force of arms.

She conducted regular inspections of the Oregonian feline population to ensure their general suitability.

She also conducted inspections of Oregonian beverages.

She made time for some personal perks, like scalp massages.  (And a car nap as a contingent of the rest of us partook of Burgerville fare.)

But toward evening, she heard the call of bedtime and was not pleased.

She tried to fight it and continue to play with her aunt and uncles and grandparents, but around seven, after a valiant effort, it got her.  She fell asleep quite quickly after her bedtime routine.

Oregon

We're in Oregon!  Apologies for the late post -- Summer and I both crashed in our clothes getting Madeline to sleep last night.

Before we left in the morning, Madeline opened her Christmas gift from one of her great-uncle Davids.

Its contents will be revealed shortly.

Then, after much scrambling, we made it to the airport, through security, to the gate, and onto the plane.  Madeline marveled at the spectacle of the airport workers' bustle outside the window.

On the plane, she played most with her new gift -- a tiger-kitty!

The first flight ended with not so much as a whimper from Madeline.  All was well.  And in Atlanta, she again watched the busy airport workers and pointed to the airplanes.

The next flight passed quite well, too.  Madeline had a few little crying blips but mostly played, ate, and then slept.  She was calm enough that I was able to both watch a movie and finish a book.

The ride home from the airport was another matter entirely -- hysterical screaming the whole way.  But once she was free from moving metal compartments for the day, she got a second happy-energy wind.  She met aunt Sarah ...

... was reacquainted with uncle Marc ...

... got grandma hugs ...

... and met uncle Matthew, too!

Then it was bedtime, and (as I mentioned at the outset) the three of us all crashed.

The calm before the cross-country flight

Tomorrow we travel to Oregon, but today was pretty normal. Madeline had a fun morning and a good day at daycare. We visited friends Jesse and Sara to swap cookies and introduced Madeline to their cats (who were willing to entertain her until her excited shrieks began). And then, back home, Madeline played her favorite game: steal daddy's glasses:

Having succeeded at stealing daddy's glasses, she was very pleased with herself.

That's that.  Next you hear from us, we'll be on the opposite side of the country.  Wish us luck!